After Patti and I had breakfast, I with Arlindo earlier, Aline picked us up at 9:30 and we went touring to see more of Brasilia.Our first stop was the market by the TV tower where we had been on the observation deck previously. We spent about 2 hours there, buying small gifts for friends and family and sampling some of the goodies offered. From here we headed for the Santuario Dom Bosco (Sanctuary of Dom Bosco) which honors the Italian saint who dreamed of a utopian city in 1883. Brasilia is inspired by this dream. We had tried on a previous evening to visit but it was closed for the night. The shrine has an impressive interior which seemed to be bathed in heavenly blue light from the walls of windows. We stayed and participated in the church service for a sort while.
Our next stop was the Templo da Boa Vontade (Temple of Good Will). It is shaped like a pyramid of seven faces. From the very peak of the pyramid, hangs the biggest crystal ever found in Brazil. According to the maintainers, the best way to capture the energy of the crystal is to walk slowly, barefoot, meditating, following the spiral path inwards; at the center of the spiral, right under the crystal, is the energy focus; then, walk back outwards, stopping before the altar for meditation. In order to do this I had to don a pair of black trousers to cover my inappropriate dress below my waist. I was dressed in shorts over which it was easy to pull on the one-size-fits-all pants. It was a very interesting place where one could do some quiet, serious contemplating and introspection. It was at this temple that Luiza said she had a life changing experience and she was now a regular attender.
From here we went to a really nice(and expensive)restaurant, Churrascaria Porcão where we were being hosted by another International student who had attended KEC, Alexandre Lins. Alexandre intoduced us to his girl friend, Talitha, and to his father, Enrique, another former International student from years gone by. Alex's sister lives in Saskatoon, so there is the possibility we will reconnect when he comes to visit her in the future.
The food was excellent! There was a very large self-serve buffet of vegetables and salads and sushi. Passadores (meat waiters) come to the table with knives and a skewer, on which are speared various kinds of meat, be it beef, pork, filet mignon, lamb, chicken, duck, ham (and pineapple), sausage, fish, or any other sort of local cut of meat. A common cut of beef top sirloin cap is known as picanha. They cut portions of the meats onto a plate for you to eat. You can eat until you are stuffed, sick, or hospitalized. Fortunately we were able to show remarkable restraint and enjoy modest portions as we visited and learned more about each other and what had transpired since we last met. Enrique would not hear of us paying and he graciously paid the whole tab!
Taking our leave, Aline then took us to the Dom Bosco Natural Park where we walked around and admired the greenery and observed the many people who were out enjoying a pleasant afternoon at the park which had a beach onto Lake Paranoa. It was another beautiful warm day.
Our last stop was at Aline's place which coincidentally was located in an apartment building next to the one Anna and her family lived in. We met her very artistic mom, Joanna, a retired school teacher, and had a tour of her apartment with all the art she had done.
Then we walked back to Anna's place where at 6:00 p.m. a student, Julia Maas from my first year in the International program, picked me up in her car and we went out for coffee. I had a caju(cashew) juice as we reminisced. Julia is an aspiring film artist and has directed and produced a film which I hope to see soon.
Back at the apartment, we packed and then gave our hosts the small gifts we had brought. These small tokens could in no way match the quality of the welcome we had received. We had a last light lunch with them and then Patti and I took our malaria pills, which we were advised that we needed for Manaus, and retired for our last night in Brasilia.
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